Moviola > Films > The Chorus

The Chorus (Les Choristes)  (12A)   96 mins

The highest grossing French film of all time, this is the story of Clément Mathieu, an unsuccessful composer who, in the late 1940s, takes on a job as teacher at "Le Fond de l'Etang" (The Bottom of the Pond), a school for "difficult" boys, who range from war orphans to juvenile delinquents.  The school is run on authoritarian, not to say sadistic lines by the headmaster Rachin, and to begin with the kids give their new teacher a rough ride.  He appears unassuming and somewhat pathetic, but he is no pushover.  Slowly he wins their confidence, and then he has the idea of forming a choir, and writes pieces specially for them to sing.  One of the surlier boys, Morhange, has a marvellous voice, and a beautiful single mother who works as a waitress. Mathieu encourages the boy in his music, and shyly falls for his mother.  There are no great surprises in the plot, but it's a touching story well told and the singing is terrific. 

The film won a César for Best Music, and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Film not in the English Language and for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

"It'll charm your ears and toast your cockles."  BBC Film Reviews

www.leschoristes-lefilm.com/  (French only)

Last modified: 10-Apr-2008

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